ticketed while riding
I was ticketed earlier in this afternoon for running a red light on my bike in Charles Village.
I was ticketed earlier in this afternoon for running a red light on my bike in Charles Village. British kids would rather cycle
By Jonathon Harker Sep 22 2009, 10:08amHalfords sees 22 per cent year-on-year rise in children’s bike sales; Chain launches kid’s-specific website
A Halfords-commissioned survey has found that almost three quarters (74 per cent) of British kids would like to cycle more with their families, despite 84 per cent of children spending most family time watching TV.
The TNS-conducted survey comes after the national retailer has announced a 22 per cent increase in the sales of children’s bikes over Christmas, compared year-on-year with 2007.
The report also found that almost all (95 per cent) of the children surveyed would rather be more fit and healthy, but do not exercise with their family as much as they would like to.
Cycling was the preferred means of keeping fit amongst the children, with 74 per cent preferring cycling over walking, running or playing team games.
The ultimate accessory for the geek
in 1983, Steve Roberts packed up a Tandy 100 laptop and a 5-watt solar panel, fleeing suburbia on his recumbent bicycle on what would become a 17,000 mile journey that forever cemented his place in the geek pantheon...not just as a technology hacker, but as one of the preeminent "life hackers," pursuing his own dreams on his own terms and inspiring others to do the same.
In this recently-unearthed video from 1989, Roberts reflects on the first 16,000 miles of his voyage, detailing some of the technology that went into his then-current ride, the Winnebiko II.
Baltimore lawyer bikes to work from Owings Mills
September 18, 2009 7:15 PM
During rush hour, H. Mark Stichel says, his 14-mile commute takes about the same time on two wheels as on four — although going home takes a little longer on the bike, because it’s uphill.
His name is H. Mark Stichel, but drivers who take Falls Road to work may know him as that blur on a speeding bike who’s making better time than they are.
Stichel, a litigator with Gohn, Hankey & Stichel LLP in downtown Baltimore, bikes to work two or three days a week from his home in Owings Mills, about 14½ miles away. It takes him under an hour to get to work, a little longer to get back because he’s riding uphill.
“What I discovered is, it didn’t take me much longer to ride my bike to work than it did to drive, especially in rush hour,” Stichel said.
“For an extra 20, 25 minutes, I get a workout,” he said.
Stichel starts his commute at about 8 a.m. on narrow, no-shoulder roads in Baltimore County. The roads’ advantage is that they are lightly trafficked.
After that, Stichel takes Falls Road down through the county and into the city. That road has more cars, but it’s also wider.
He said he gets heckled occasionally by drivers who honk at him or shout things. One man called him a “young punk,” apparently unaware that the “punk” was actually a middle-aged lawyer.
“Do you realize I’m probably older than you are?” Stichel remembers thinking.
Stichel carries no briefcase or backpack with him when he bikes. He keeps a substantial chunk of his wardrobe at the office, and when he gets there, he washes up and changes in the men’s room.
“It would be nice to have a shower” in the building, but “no one’s complained” to him about his post-ride hygiene, he said. That said, he generally doesn’t bike in on days when he has an important meeting.
Stichel, 50, said he’s in much better shape now than he was before 2001, when he began riding to work.
“Before I started riding, I was 20 pounds heavier than I am now,” he said. “I can remember, this was about 10 years ago, [when] I went running after a bus, trudging through an airport with suitcases, I would get out of breath. Now, 10 years later, that doesn’t happen. …”
Stichel, a litigator with Gohn, Hankey & Stichel LLP in downtown Baltimore, bikes to work two or three days a week from his home in Owings Mills, about 14½ miles away. It takes him under an hour to get to work, a little longer to get back because he’s riding uphill.
“What I discovered is, it didn’t take me much longer to ride my bike to work than it did to drive, especially in rush hour,” Stichel said.
“For an extra 20, 25 minutes, I get a workout,” he said.
Stichel starts his commute at about 8 a.m. on narrow, no-shoulder roads in Baltimore County. The roads’ advantage is that they are lightly trafficked.
After that, Stichel takes Falls Road down through the county and into the city. That road has more cars, but it’s also wider.
He said he gets heckled occasionally by drivers who honk at him or shout things. One man called him a “young punk,” apparently unaware that the “punk” was actually a middle-aged lawyer.
“Do you realize I’m probably older than you are?” Stichel remembers thinking.
Stichel carries no briefcase or backpack with him when he bikes. He keeps a substantial chunk of his wardrobe at the office, and when he gets there, he washes up and changes in the men’s room.
“It would be nice to have a shower” in the building, but “no one’s complained” to him about his post-ride hygiene, he said. That said, he generally doesn’t bike in on days when he has an important meeting.
Stichel, 50, said he’s in much better shape now than he was before 2001, when he began riding to work.
“Before I started riding, I was 20 pounds heavier than I am now,” he said. “I can remember, this was about 10 years ago, [when] I went running after a bus, trudging through an airport with suitcases, I would get out of breath. Now, 10 years later, that doesn’t happen. …”
BikePed Beacon -- September 2009
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The following monthly newsflash from the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board details current news and events in regards to biking and walking both in and around the Baltimore region.
The information found in the newsflash is informative; it could inspire some to become more involved in the process of improving conditions for biking and walking.
There is much to enjoy for everyone in this newsletter. There is always plenty of information and resources available but the BMC tries to make all that information just as enjoyable as riding a bike or taking a walk.
You may peruse the newsletter highlights below but be careful not to miss anything.
Thank you and Enjoy!
Stephanie Yanovitz
BikePed Beacon Editor
2008 Modal share data released - Cyclists in Baltimore have doubled!
Baltimore city, MarylandS0801. Commuting Characteristics by Sex
Data Set: 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
Survey: American Community Survey
|
Subject |
Total |
Margin of Error |
Male |
Margin of Error |
Female |
Margin of Error |
|
Workers 16 years and over |
280224 |
+/-6,158 |
128690 |
+/-4,654 |
151534 |
+/-3,957 |
|
MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION TO WORK |
||||||
|
Car, truck, or van |
69.70% |
+/-1.5 |
69.20% |
+/-2.3 |
70.10% |
+/-1.8 |
|
Drove alone |
57.90% |
+/-1.6 |
56.50% |
+/-2.6 |
59.20% |
+/-2.0 |
|
Carpooled |
11.80% |
+/-1.3 |
12.70% |
+/-1.8 |
11.00% |
+/-1.5 |
|
In 2-person carpool |
9.60% |
+/-1.1 |
9.90% |
+/-1.5 |
9.30% |
+/-1.4 |
|
In 3-person carpool |
1.60% |
+/-0.5 |
2.10% |
+/-1.0 |
1.00% |
+/-0.4 |
|
In 4-or-more person carpool |
0.60% |
+/-0.3 |
0.70% |
+/-0.5 |
0.60% |
+/-0.3 |
|
Workers per car, truck, or van |
1.58 |
+/-0.04 |
1.61 |
+/-0.06 |
1.56 |
+/-0.04 |
|
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) |
19.50% |
+/-1.3 |
19.40% |
+/-2.0 |
19.60% |
+/-1.5 |
|
Walked |
6.00% |
+/-0.8 |
5.70% |
+/-1.1 |
6.30% |
+/-1.0 |
|
Bicycle |
0.60% |
+/-0.2 |
0.90% |
+/-0.4 |
0.30% |
+/-0.2 |
|
Taxicab, motorcycle, or other means |
1.40% |
+/-0.4 |
1.40% |
+/-0.6 |
1.40% |
+/-0.5 |
|
Worked at home |
2.80% |
+/-0.6 |
3.40% |
+/-1.0 |
2.40% |
+/-0.7 |
Why Parents Drive Children to School
This line from a NY Times article really hits a nerve with me:"Last spring, her son, 10, announced he wanted to walk to soccer practice rather than be driven, a distance of about a mile. Several people who saw the boy walking alone called 911. A police officer stopped him, drove him the rest of the way and then reprimanded Mrs. Pierce. According to local news reports, the officer told Mrs. Pierce that if anything untoward had happened to the boy, she could have been charged with child endangerment. Many felt the officer acted appropriately and that Mrs. Pierce had put her child at risk. "
And where are the police insuring our neighborhoods are safe? I guess its just not their job. Say what? Not the job of the police for public safety?
But that is not really the issue, the issue is strangers are not to be trusted and we as a society don't even know the people who live on our block let alone a mile away. We are not outside enough to get to know those who live nearby so all are strangers not to be trusted. But start riding your bike around or anything outside around your house and after awhile you'll meet other people who are outside and soon the whole world is your freind.
Say what? There are no safe places to bike or walk in your neighborhood because of overly car centric roadway designs? Heavy sigh, is this really the kind of world we want to create?
Regional Leaders Launch "Street Smart" Pedestrian Safety Campaign
Baltimore, MD (September 16, 2009) The Baltimore region averages 1,700 crashes involving pedestrians each year. In 2008, 44 pedestrians were killed. There were also 500 crashes involving bicycles, with 4 fatalities."Road safety is a concern that has no boundaries," said Baltimore Mayor Dixon, Vice Chair of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. "It is important that we are united in our efforts to protect the lives of our residents on the streets and in the crosswalks."
In an effort to educate pedestrians, cyclists and drivers - and save lives - the Maryland State Highway Administration's Safety Office is partnering with the Baltimore Metropolitan Council to introduce the Street Smart traffic safety campaign in the Baltimore region. Street Smart is an element of SHA's "Choose Safety for Life" umbrella campaign and has been used successfully in the Washington, DC, area since 2002.
...
Education is only one component of Street Smart, though. Local police are also stepping up enforcement of safety laws in Baltimore City and throughout the region. Fines for jaywalking, speeding and failure to stop for a pedestrian can range anywhere from $80 to $500.
...
Velocipede Bicycle Co-op Documentary Emmy Award Winner
[I can't believe I missed this. You rock Velocipede!]
Part 1:
Part 2:
City Paper: Best Use of Taxpayer Funds
Biking in Baltimore got a little less anarchic in the past two years. Sure, we're still dodging death-trap storm grates, getting pelted with Styrofoam cups and insults, being paranoid about chronic assholes, and all the rest, but at least we have this small promise from the city that it cares: Nate Evans, official bike czar. Look forward to more bike lanes/sharrows, even more bike racks, designated bike routes, and outreach and education, but, most importantly, cyclists have someone at City Hall with his ears open.